Meeting Minutes #182

Members Present:  R. Boikess, E. Boling, J. Camacho, L. Clarke, M. Cotter, J. DeFilippis, D. Fishman, T. Gerhard, T. Glynn, F. Hughes, M. Ierapetritou, H. Janes, J. Langsam, K. McKeever, R. Niederman, D. O'Connor, P. Panayotatos, D. Redlawsk, J. Reed, H. Sackrowitz, J. Shapiro (Chair), G. Springs Jr., T. Szatrowski, P. Takhistov, K. Thompson, R. Wilson, L. Windsor

Non-Members Present: B. Qualls, K. Swalagin (Recording Secretary) 
  
1.     Call to Order and Chairperson’s Report - Joel Shapiro, NBFC Chairperson 
  
Council Chairperson Joel Shapiro called the 182nd meeting of the New Brunswick Faculty Council (NBFC) to order at 1:17 p.m. on Friday, October 28, 2011 in Room 116ABC of the Busch Campus Center, Busch Campus. He introduced himself and Ken Swalagin, NBFC recording secretary, and reminded everyone to sign in before leaving the meeting. Shapiro said that he has attempted to update the council membership. He welcomed all council members, introducing the new members individually. Directing all members to the NBFC website, Shapiro noted that many members' terms have expired and have not been renewed or replaced. He asked that everyone check the online roster, and to follow up with their units to address expired terms by having them renewed or having a replacement elected. Shapiro then asked all NBFC members to confirm that they have selected and been appointed to one of the council's standing committees. 
  
2.     Approval of Agenda and Minutes 
  
The Minutes of the May 13, 2011 NBFC meeting were approved. Shapiro noted that Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Richard Edwards was not present at the meeting, so there would be no administrative report. He then asked to move to the top of the agenda the report by Vice President for Undergraduate Education Barry Qualls on the new self-reporting student attendance system. There were no objections from the council to the agenda change. The current meeting’s agenda so amended, it was adopted. 
  
3.      Student Self-Reporting Absence Application - Barry Qualls, Vice President for Undergraduate Education
  
Barry Qualls, Vice President for Undergraduate Education, described the background and function of the newly implemented student self-reporting absence application, and responded to questions thereon.  Qualls said that he would be interested to hear how faculty who teach large classes think the application is working. In response to Robert Niederman's suggestion, Qualls said that the application will be put on Sakai. Qualls closed his comments by asking the council members to suggest that their colleagues email comments on the absence-reporting system directly to him.
  
4.     Discussion of Faculty Input on the Criteria for the Presidential Search Committee - Paul Panayotatos, Presidential Search Committee Member 
  
Paul Panayotatos, NBFC member and University Senate chair, explained the composition of the Presidential Search Committee, including his own membership by virtue of his current University Senate chairship. He also summarized the process by which the committee has responded to the Board of Governors instruction to solicit input from the university community on what qualities and criteria are sought in the next Rutgers president. Those solicitation events include planned or completed campuswide open forums, and committee-of-the-whole discussions at University Senate meetings. Referring, in part, to the Leadership Statement published online at the "Search for the 20th President of Rutgers" website, Panayotatos made and heard comments related to suggested qualities and criteria for an effective president, including:

  • previous experience as a university faculty member;
  • business acumen;
  • experience with nonprofit enterprises;
  • ability to view faculty as colleagues;
  • political savvy;
  • ability to understand the culture of university aspirations and culture from multiple perspectives;
  • willingness to listen to, and communicate openly with, the Rutgers community, particularly in the context of advisory organizations such as the University Senate;
  • recognition of the comprehensive and wide-ranging mission of Rutgers University;
  • a record of significant public service;
  • ability to balance large-organization, academic-view, and business aspects of the position;
  • ability to understand and appreciate high-level, sophisticated intellectual developments;
  • respect for collective bargaining; and
  • respect for faculty governance and consultation.

Dan Fishman, and the council, expressed appreciation for Paul Panayotatos's energy, passion, and valiant efforts to represent the faculty on this and other issues.

5.     Discussion of General Issues on the Reintegration of RWJ into Rutgers University (with governance issues in particular)

Chairperson Shapiro began a discussion of issues related to the reintegration of medical-school units into Rutgers, noting that the NBFC should have committees thinking about what issues that reintegration raises for those committees, rather than holding a very broad discussion of the matter now. Paul Panayotos summarized some of his experience and knowledge on UMDNJ and the issue generally. He said that, with his consultation, UMDNJ has established a senate, and RWJ has established a faculty council currently consisting of 12 members. Some general discussion followed, during which the issue of a potential splitting-off of Rutgers Camden was also mentioned.

6.    Review of Charges of Standing Committees

Chairperson Shapiro noted that two of the council's standing committees are currently without chairs, and that the Executive Committee wasn't able to appoint chairs to those committees. Committee chairs then reported on their respective charges, as follows:

  • Academic Standards, Regulations and Admissions Committee - Robert Boikess, ASRAC chairperson, said that his committee has not yet met this year, and was waiting for the NBFC to issue a charge.
  • Budget and Planning Committee - Robert Wilson, BFC chairperson, said that his committee has not yet met this year, but that its standing charge suggests it should discuss the state of campus facilities and plans for physical facilities, as well as financial problems and providing advice thereon to the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Other council members suggested or raised related issues of: options for replacing building-commitments funding that is not forthcoming, medical school funding, and costs related to Big East membership.
  • Curriculum, Teaching and Honors Committee - This committee is currently without a chair.
  • Faculty Affairs and Personnel Policy Committee - This committee is currently without a chair.
  • Libraries and Academic Resources Committee - Dan Fishman, LARC chairperson, said that his committee is or will be looking at open-access resources, development of RUCore and its utilization, the impact of budget cuts on libraries, and ways to reduce expenses of student textbooks. He asked for additional members to be added to the LARC.
  • Student Affairs Committee - Ken McKeever, SAC chairperson, said his committee intends to follow-up on last year's discussions of how veterans' affairs are handled at Rutgers and elsewhere, and to find best practices in handling those issues. He also asked council members to send him issues on how the SAC might explore athletics and student-life issues. 

7.    Old Business

Faculty-Body Election of Faculty Representative to NCAA - Paul Panayotatos said that people from the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics had suggested that the faculty representative to the NCAA should be elected by a faculty body, and that he took the COIA paper (published in the Journal of Intercollegiate Athletics) which included that suggestion to President McCormick and then-EVP Furmanski and asked if they would consider having the NCAA representative vetted by the NBFC. He said there had been no response, so he has taken the matter to Interim EVP Edwards, who has indicated that he would respond to the NBFC.

8.    New Business

New University Password Policy - Robert Boikess asked if there had been any faculty consultation on the new university password policy, which requires longer, more complex passwords that also must be changed annually. Following brief discussion, it was decided that Chairperson Shapiro will ask IEVP Edwards to solicit membership from the NBFC when advisory committees are formed on such issues, and that the password policy, being universitywide, would be more appropriately a matter for the University Senate.

9.     Adjournment 
  
The meeting adjourned at 3:12 p.m. 
    
Minutes Written and Submitted by: 
  
Ken Swalagin
Recording Secretary of the New Brunswick Faculty Council